Line Logistics in Industry 4.0

When we think of the concept of Industry 4.0, we are reminded of an assembly line full of robots that produces non-stop. However, this photograph would be very poor if we were to stay in this single image

     In this 4.0 industry, or in the photo we make of it, we leave the supply of materials and raw materials for the line in the corner and this point is fundamental so that production does not stop and so that each material reaches the customer in time and form. Without this provisioning it doesn't matter how robotic or digitized a company is because it has no elements to produce.

The way the material or components are delivered to the production line has a direct impact on productivity, as it avoids displacements and, by reducing the time required to search for materials, improves the indexes. It also eliminates uncertainty about the stock of parts.

The industry in general, and especially the automotive industry, has been developing and perfecting numerous systems to bring components and parts to the production line. From more or less technical trucks to the current Lean trains. These are systems that improve productivity and also result in improved working conditions, as operators do not have to move around the plant unnecessarily.

Currently, to optimize this continuous supply, the industry has metal packaging that incorporates customized packaging for parts, or plastic packaging that can reach the production line. Even corrugated cardboard packaging can be adapted to transit between plants and even between countries, thanks to the strength of this material. That is to say, there is a permanent innovation in the packaging area in order to look for an optimization in the logistics.

With the advent of Industry 4.0, however, the logistics system must be able to exchange information quickly between the company and the production chain and must be able to respond as quickly.

It is no longer a question of an operator bringing the goods to the production line, but rather of the system determining which products, when and how they should be delivered.

To do this, the logistics department must have an information system that allows it to know at all times where the goods are located.

At DS Smith Tecnicarton we have developed a series of packaging systems that can be integrated into stand-alone vehicles and which also triple the capacity of the packaging systems used up to now. These are packages that lighten transit in factories by reducing cargo movements.

Industry 4.0 is a new way of organizing the means of production, and it is materialized in intelligent and more adapted factories. It is also characterized by a better allocation of resources.

New industrial packaging must therefore be integrated into the information systems of the logistics and warehousing departments as well as the production departments.

Another factor to be taken into account is the traffic management of these new elements - integrated packaging and autonomous vehicles - which must provide information on materials and positioning in time.

These are the challenges that the Industry 4.0 launches on industrial packaging and that DS Smith Tecnicarton is tackling.